


Unanswerable Questions

by jebbypal



Category: Firefly
Genre: Gen, Post-Serenity
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2006-03-25
Updated: 2006-03-25
Packaged: 2017-10-10 05:03:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 319
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/95775
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jebbypal/pseuds/jebbypal
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Some things about Book will always be a mystery</p>
            </blockquote>





	Unanswerable Questions

"Jayne."

"Mal," Jayne grunted around his cigar. He passed the flask of aged whiskey over and leaned back against the rail of the catwalk. He knew he shouldn't, but he'd never paid much attention to conventional wisdom when speaking to anyone, least of all Mal. "So, did he ever tell you what he'd done before the abbey?"

Mal paused mid-sip before lowering the flask and handing it back. "Nope. You?"

Jayne poured a healthy amount of whiskey onto the floor below in honor of his friend. And Wash. He glanced at Mal, daring him to protest.

"Nah, every time I asked, he just said he wasn't that man anymore." Jayne removed his cigar so he could take another swig before passing the flask back. Mal grunted and poured his own offering to the dead on the deck. "That why you made him leave?"

"Didn't make him leave, Jayne. He decided his journey was over."

"I just never could figure it. To join an abbey for all those years with nothing to do but pray and garden, swear off sex…what could drive a man to do that?"

Mal took a longer swig from the flask before sealing it up. "I don't know, Jayne. I don't know."

"Ya know, today wasn't even his real birthday."

"What was it then? An excuse to get Kaylee to make him a fake cake?" Mal asked.

Jayne rolled the flask in his hands as he shook his head. "Told me it was the day he took his vows. Said that was the day that Shepherd Book was born."

Jayne looked over and saw Mal staring off into space at something only he could see. After a long pause, he finally responded. "Maybe he had the right of it after all." Then he nodded at Jayne's flask, "When you finish that, get back to work. Don't need you getting Zoe and Kaylee all maudlin again."


End file.
